because the night

I remember the first time I listened to ‘Because The Night’ by Patti, it was after I’d finished reading Just Kids and obviously she talks about the music and this song throughout, so once I’d closed the book I picked up my laptop and pressed play. It was a Saturday night and I was alone in my room wearing an oversized t-shirt and some hoop earrings I’d wanted to put on because why not, and I remember that as soon as the song started I felt like I was in the ending scene of a movie where the girl finally finds herself and you know that she’s going to be okay when the credits finish rolling. I was that girl for those 3 minutes and 27 seconds, dancing around on my bed alone in my room knowing that I belonged there in Patti’s music that she’d created for people like me and I was eternally grateful, because that was the moment I knew I was going to be okay.

“Above all else, it is about leaving a mark that I existed: I was here. I was hungry. I was defeated. I was happy. I was sad. I was in love. I was afraid. I was hopeful. I had an idea and I had a good purpose and that’s why I made works of art.”